"Saturday, Saturday, Saturday....

Saturday, Saturday"..... Yeah, I think Elton John did a little better with Bernie Taupin writing lyrics than when he came up with them on his own...

Anyway, welcome to Saturday. Or at least what we did today. Our local library had a special event for the last day of the summer reading program. This year's theme was "Catch the Reading Bug" and so today there was a special presentation called "Frogs, Bugs, and Animals" by some local animal enthusiasts. They brought along some really interesting and exotic stuff. Even I (and I'm sure some of the other parents as well) was totally entertained. We saw a tree frog, a bearded dragon, a flying squirrel, a fluffy Japanese chicken, rabbits, hedgehogs, beetle maggots, hissing cockroaches, rats, toads, and an African Spurred Tortoise (sulcata tortoise). It was pretty amazing! The kids had a great time, and after we sat through the presentation and even got to do some petting of the animals ourselves we headed inside the library. Inside there were prizes for the end of the reading program, each child got a certificate for a free ice cream cone from a local ice cream shop, coupons for free kids' meals, and the best part of all - they each got to pick a free brand new book from Scholastic! There were tables full of brand new books, it was awesome. Riley picked one where you have to find all kinds of different things hidden inside a city, and Elliot picked one about Clifford (the big red dog). We really had a lot of fun with the summer reading program and hope to keep up a good reading schedule. Right now the kids are really into this series called "The Magic School Bus" that has all sorts of fun stories about educational topics. And currently I have a bunch on loan for Riley about starting Kindergarten. You just have to love the library, especially in this economy!!

So after a fun day with Nana and the kids, we came home, spent some time with Uncle Pete and Aunt Buffy, and then it was off to Nana and Pa's for Riley and Elliot. They had dinner and each got their backpacks - Riley's is for school and Elliot's is for when we go to the library, etc. Well, when I went to pick up the boys, Elliot was nearly blue in the face from talking in circles and having raptures over his new possession. (It has Thomas the Train on it, by the way.) He was nearly beside himself with glee. And it hadn't worn off by the time we got home, at which point he bounded up the stairs exclaiming "Daddy, I have a surprise for you!" He whipped around and proudly displayed his backpack in all it's pint-sized glory. As I write this, the pack is nestled beside him in bed.

Well, that's about it for now. I'm hoping to get some pictures from our day today up soon. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your weekend!